I pulled up in front of the little white house, the one I knew Melanie would love.
“Welcome home.” I pecked her on the mouth before hopping out and running around to the passenger door. I helped her out, trying to gauge her reaction as she took everything in. We’d have to be here in Boulder for at least the next four or five years, and I wanted to be sure we had a home to raise our daughter.
“Daniel,” she breathed out. Her eyes scanned the front yard, coming to rest on the front porch. Walking forward, she ran her hand along the railing as she ascended the steps, going directly to the swing suspended from the roof. She had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, and I knew it was right.
“Home,” she said the word and reached for my hand. “Thank you.” She’d always said I felt like home to her, and I couldn’t be happier than to give her one.
“Do you want to see inside?” I took her hand and unlocked the front door.
She stepped inside, and I heard a little gasp as both of her hands went to her face while she shook her head.
“Daniel, it’s perfect. How?” She looked around our house, absorbing everything around her.
“Mom,” we both said it at the same time. It was so clear my mom had a hand in this. Melanie loved old things, and I knew the house for her would be warm and comfortable, a place where we could be at ease while we watched our little girl play on the floor.
She walked around the family room, her fingers trailing over the photos my mom had so carefully picked out. Melanie picked up the picture of us right after my graduation. “I love this one.” She turned it toward me so I could see it.
“It’s my favorite, too.”
“I can’t believe your mom knows me this well, Daniel.” She ran her hand over the fabric of the large suede couch, still shaking her head.
I led her to the kitchen, the room I was most excited for her to see. She was an amazing cook, and I wanted her to have her dream kitchen.
“Oh, my gosh,” she gushed as she danced into the kitchen, running her fingertips along the butcher-block island that sat directly in the middle. “I want to make us dinner tonight!” Her eyes were wide with excitement as she opened drawers and slammed cabinets, checking out everything.
“Of course, if that’s what you want to do, but I don’t want you to get too tired.” I worried she put too much stress on herself, but the thought of Melanie cooking dinner in our kitchen made my mouth water.
She shook her head. “No, I really want to.”
She slid her arms around my waist, pulling me close to rest her head on my chest. “You are the most perfect man ever created. Do you know how much this house means to me, Daniel? It’s wonderful, but it would never be home without you. Do you understand? You’re everything.” She squeezed me tighter as she said the last words.
Her words left me awestruck. I knew with every part of my being, she’d been made specifically for me and I for her. My arms tightened around her, and I buried my nose in her hair.
Stepping back, I took her hand and whispered, “I want to show you something.”
My heart raced as I approached the next room. I prayed Melanie would like it. I pushed the door open, and Melanie peeked in and froze. I was so afraid she’d be disappointed, but Erin had assured me Mel would love it. I placed my hands on her shoulders while she took it all in.
There was pink everywhere. Pink walls, pink curtains, pink bedding, all the way down to the pink teddy bear nestled in the rocking chair that sat beside the crib. There were little fairies painted in a mural scene against one wall and matching ones embroidered on pieces of the bedding. I thought I was going to hate it when Erin had started working on it, but once it was finished, I couldn’t imagine a better room for any little girl.
Melanie was silent as she went to the crib. She reached inside and picked up one of the soft blankets, holding it to her nose as she continued her tour around the room. The closet was overflowing with enough baby clothes for the next three years. A changing table sat in the far corner stocked with baby supplies, and there were even books on shelves and toys in baskets. Erin had thought of everything.
I leaned against the doorjamb and watched as Melanie picked up little one-piece outfits and held them to her belly. She opened the bottles on the changing table and smelled each one. She looked through the titles of the books and the toys, acquainting herself with everything.
She finally looked at me and said, “She’s going to love it.”
“Yeah, I think she will too.”
Melanie took one last look before we shut the door.
“Are you ready to see our room?”
She nodded and followed me in after I opened the door.
Mom had made it comfortable, not overdone. It was a place where we could come to be alone at the end of the day—a place of peace and love and commitment.
“Do you like it?”
“How could I not? It’s ours.” Her face radiated joy.
The combination of those words and the look on her face sent my heart racing, savoring the thought of our lives joined. No more weekend trips, no more sneaking in backdoors, no more hiding.
Ours.
Finally.
With the sun shining, we spent the afternoon out in the back yard, talking as we sat on the grass. Melanie looked at where her garden would be. It was barren now, but I knew it would be incredible as soon as Melanie was here and tending to it. We picked out the perfect spot for a swing set, imagining a time a few years from now when we would catch our little girl as she came down the slide or push her on the swing as she giggled and begged us to push her higher.
Evening approached, and Melanie still wanted to make dinner, so we picked up a few things from the store.
Dinner was amazing. Melanie reveled in her new kitchen. I think she used every dish we owned. I’d never seen her freer. Only three more months, and we’d be able to do this every day.
We ate at our little dining table, chatting and enjoying our food, the mood light between us.
When my phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out and glanced at the number before shutting it off and turning my attention back to Melanie.
“Who was that?” She smiled as she popped a piece of baked chicken into her mouth.
“Oh, just Stephanie. She’s probably calling to remind me of our study group on Monday.” She always called a couple of days ahead because one of the four of us in our group always forgot if she didn’t.
A frown crossed Melanie’s face, and she looked back down at her plate.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” She tried to wave it off.
“It’s not if something’s bothering you.” We had promised each other a long time ago that whenever anything upset us we’d get it out in the open.
“Honestly, it really is nothing. She just makes me uncomfortable.” She shrugged her shoulders and took another bite.
Melanie had only met Stephanie once in passing. We were leaving a restaurant over Christmas break when Steph was coming in with her boyfriend, so I didn’t understand where this was coming from. Melanie had never been the jealous type because she had no reason to be.
“You understand that I am only for you?” I squeezed her knee under the table, begging her to understand. “She’s just my study partner.”
“I know. She just gave me a weird feeling, but I trust you.” She smiled, effectively closing the subject, because we both knew we didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing. Nobody would ever come between us.
Later that night, we watched a movie on the couch, but Melanie never made it to the end. Her soft breaths were lulling me to sleep as well, so I picked her up and carried her to our room. I pulled the covers down and tucked her in, her brown ringlets falling all over her pillow.
“So beautiful,” I whispered into her cheek as I kissed her good night. So unbelievably beautiful.
I don’t think I’d ever even seen another woman’s face since the moment I’d me
t her. It was as if my mind couldn’t register anyone else.
Crawling into bed next to her, I tugged her back close to my chest so I could hold her as she slept. I rested my hand on her belly, content in this moment.
I felt a little thump against my hand, my other girl demanding my attention. I smiled into the back of Melanie’s head as I continued to feel the little movements under my hand, wondering how it was even possible to feel this way.
***
We spent Saturday morning lounging around the house. It seemed we were always around somebody else, and we never had time to ourselves. It was great to be in our home just with each other.
Around noon, we decided to go into town to shop a little. We browsed around, taking our time as we looked in store windows, holding hands as we strolled together.
Melanie held up a baby name book with a questioning look, and I grinned and nodded. It was definitely time to start thinking about naming our little girl.
The afternoon came and went, and sadness began to creep in as I thought of having to take Melanie back to her dad’s tomorrow. I had thought about asking her to come up here to finish school, but I knew that would be selfish of me.
When Melanie’s feet started hurting, we went home to relax, but I felt anxious. We needed to talk about her parents. We couldn’t put it off any longer.
Melanie had her back propped against the headboard with her feet up on a pillow as she flipped through the name book. I crawled beside her, pulling her against me.
“Melanie, baby, we need to talk.”
She frowned, set the book down, and straightened up a bit.
“We have to tell your dad.”
She sighed. “I know. I’m just so scared. Every day I leave my room promising myself that I’m going to tell him, but as soon as I see him, I lose my nerve. It was like I wanted to spare him the worry, but now I’ve let it go on for too long. How am I supposed to tell him he’s going to be a grandpa in three months? He’s going to lose it.” She clenched her fists in agitation.
“I know he is, but we can’t wait any longer. You’re showing and people are starting to notice.” I raked my hands through my hair and breathed out heavily, the sound hanging in the air. “I talked to Erin. She said the whole school is talking about it. He’s going to hear about it, if he hasn’t already...we need to tell him tomorrow.”
She bit her lip, fighting tears. I knew she was scared, but there was no way around this.
I wiped the solitary tear that ran down my girl’s cheek, and she nodded against my hand, giving her silent promise that we’d get this out in the open tomorrow.
“So what are we naming this little thing?” I affectionately rubbed her stomach, trying to lighten the mood. We had tonight left, and I didn’t want to ruin it with the worry of tomorrow.
We flipped through page after page. There were so many names it was overwhelming. “Daniel, look at this.” She pointed to a name.
I read it aloud, “Eva.” I let the name run through my head and it clicked in my heart. “It’s beautiful, Melanie.”
She sat up a little further. “It means life in Hebrew. It’s perfect.”
She placed both of her hands on her stomach and looked at me, an almost sad smile on her face. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
“God, I love you, Melanie.” I kissed her, tasting her sweetness as I ran my hands over her belly, down to her hips.
Melanie whimpered against my lips. She shifted and pressed her body against mine.
I made love to her softly, slowly—carefully, her body still perfectly fitting with mine. Every touch was like fire against my skin, her love for me undeniable in the wake of her fingers.
“Melanie, my love. You’re so beautiful,” I murmured against her cheek.
Her breath tickled against my ear as a low, “Daniel,” tumbled from her mouth.
The energy that bound our souls together was suffocating, her fire roaring through my veins.
“Melanie, you feel so good.”
Never could I desire another. There would never be anyone who could make me feel this way, anyone who could bring me complete ecstasy in one passing touch or ease my soul with the warmth of their eyes. There was only Melanie.
***
Sleep was difficult, only coming in short bursts throughout the night. I felt anxious about meeting with Steve. Telling him that Melanie was six months pregnant, and we’d been hiding it from him this whole time, was not going to go over well. If he had a real temper, this was sure to bring it out in him.
Melanie stirred next to me in the early morning hours. Turning, she wrapped her arms around me, fingering the hair on the back of my neck, her simple touch soothing my nerves.
“Hey, you awake already?” Her voice was raspy and low.
“Yeah. Couldn’t sleep.”
She sat up on her elbow facing me, her hair falling over her shoulder and pooling on the bed below her. Her skin was paler than normal in the muted morning light, her green eyes intense as they searched mine.
Moving to cup my cheek, she ran her thumb beneath my eye to smooth away the stress. I had tried to hide my own fear about telling Steve, but it was obvious I was not looking forward to this any more than she was.
I turned my head into her palm, kissing the tender skin there.
Sadness washed over me once again at the thought of taking Melanie back. This was her home now, and I wanted her to be here with me. These next three months were going to feel like an eternity, and the worst was yet to come. After we got married in April, I knew it was going to be awful coming back to this house and our king-sized bed while she was alone in the small room at the end of the hall in her dad’s house. It was just so wrong.
We lay together for what seemed like hours without saying a word, simply showing each other our love through touch. The morning slipped away and, as much as I didn’t want to, it was time to put an end to the procrastination. Melanie got up to take a shower while I packed her things.
With reluctance, I started my car and drove us in the direction of Colorado Springs. Traffic was light, so at least we’d save a few minutes of worry.
Melanie hadn’t said anything in the last half hour as she stared out the window. “Are you ready for this?” I asked, hoping to break her out of the worried silence she’d fallen into.
She jumped, startled. “Oh.” She blinked a couple of times. “I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.” She bit her thumbnail. “I just don’t know what he’s going to say. I’m really scared.”
I glanced at her. Tears ran down her face, the moisture on her cheeks reflecting the sun shining through the window.
She groaned aloud into her hands, shaking her head at the thought. “What if he has you arrested or something?” she whispered, the true fear she’d been harboring coming out. It dawned on me then that she hadn’t been hiding this from Steve to protect herself from his wrath, but to protect me from it.
“Melanie...” Reaching out, I brushed her hair aside, cupped the back of her neck. “I’d never let him keep you away from me.” I tried to reassure her with the promise in my eyes, a promise that no matter what, we would never be apart. She stared back at me, the fear that mingled with the devotion in her green eyes melting my heart.
Suddenly, she jerked under my hand, every muscle in her body tensing as she screamed, “Daniel!”
My head snapped forward, but there was nothing I could do. My vision barely registered the streak of red before my head filled with the sound of crumpling metal and shattering glass. Searing pain sliced through my chest as a desperate cry for Melanie fell from my lips. Her name pounded against my ears as blackness washed over me and forced me into darkness.
Gripping the steering wheel, I gasped for air. I couldn’t tell if my chest was caving in against my heart or if my heart had ruptured through my chest.
“Daniel, are you okay?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake off the panic attack, and forced myself to speak. “I’m fine.”
I groaned when I caught my reflection in the mirror. Hair sticking up in every possible way, not one strand in accord, eyes puffy and red from this afternoon, hands visibly shaking—I was a complete disaster.
I grabbed my bag when the valet opened my door. He gave me my tag, and I went around to gather Vanessa.
We entered, greeted by a hostess wearing a black cocktail dress and heels. I hated places like this.
“Do you have a reservation, sir?”
“Yes. I have a business meeting with Nicholas Borelli and Shane Preston. I’m not sure if they’ve arrived yet.” I glanced around the restaurant. Never having met either of them, I had no idea who I was looking for.
Studying the black book on the stand, she shook her head. “No, they haven’t arrived yet, but we can show you to your table.”
She led us to a round table for six near a large bank of windows. Vanessa and I sat on the far side, facing the room. “This is very nice, Daniel.” Vanessa pretended to appreciate the room and then looked back at me through her eyelashes.
Was she trying to flirt with me? I uttered a barely audible, “Mmm hmm,” before turning my attention to the menu, wary of making eye contact with her. This had been a complete mistake. I should have just come alone. It was becoming much too obvious that Vanessa thought this dinner meant more to me than just a need to have somebody accompany me to a dinner meeting. The accidental brush of her leg against mine under the table confirmed that.
“Shit,” I swore at myself. This day just got worse by the minute.
When a waiter arrived and asked what we’d like to drink, Vanessa gave him an exaggerated smile and ordered a water.
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